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Friday, March 16, 2012

It's not you, it's me.

Hmmm... How to put this.

Mike just recently called me out for falling off the face of the Bloggerverse. I felt the need to give you guys a post in explanation for my lack of blogging. This is something I've been considering for the past couple weeks, his post was just a catalyst to get me moving.

It definitely isn't due to a lack of activity. I've been fishing quite a few times since last fall (even got mentioned in a couple of Pre-China posts over at Lunker Hunt), have bought a fly tying kit and tied a few flies, had at least 10 trips to the range shooting things. So why the absence?

First and foremost, I fell off the weight loss wagon and gained back anything I had lost and then some. I could make lots of excuses for why but the bottom line is I failed to keep the willpower to keep going. I promised you guys I'd post regularly and ask for help when I needed it and I failed to do so and have been ashamed of it.

Secondly, my wife and I moved to a different town in central IL about 20 miles away and it was a hell of a time packing everything at the old place, moving to the new place, cleaning the old place, dealing with the old cheapskate landlord, etc. (You never really realize how much crap you have until you move. Our second bedroom is still full of packed boxes even though we've been moved for a month.)

And finally (and probably most importantly), I haven't done anything of note as far as the outdoor goes. I have a couple dozen past posts where I've caught a bunch of small bass and bluegill, there are only so many ways you can spin that. As far as guns, I still just have a 12ga shotgun and a .22 rifle. While its just as fun the 30th time you make a milk jug explode with a slug, its not the most riveting read. Every person who has ever owned a fly vice has tied a wooly bugger. Now, that isn't to say that nothing is happening in my life, just nothing particularly exciting in the realm of the outdoors. If I had hooked into a 5lb largemouth or bought a new gun, you better believe I would have updated. I blog for myself first and foremost but I don't get entertainment out of writing about my average day outdoors I suppose.

I started this blog initially to learn how to bass fish. Now I feel mildly competent in bass fishing, along with fly fishing and shooting. Seeing as how I feel like I have a basic idea of what I'm doing, what I'm doing is no different than 95% of outdoorsmen out there.

So that leaves me at a bit of a mental impasse. I enjoy blogging in general and love the outdoor blogging community but (short of lucking into a monster fish or coming into a bunch of cash for a gun) don't generally have alot to blog about outdoorswise.

From my point of view, I have at least three options with this in mind:

Leave the blog as it has been and update when something extraordinary happens.

Just delete the blog and move on.

Start a new blog that isn't centered on the outdoors but rather my life in general, with fishing and shooting being a proportional part of it, but also featuring my other hobbies (tabletop gaming, video games, literature, etc) my weight loss, perhaps some political thoughts, and just whats happening in my life. I realize that wouldn't be entertaining to some but...

So, I've got some thinking to do. I don't know when I'll make a decision but I'll be sure to let you all know when I do.

8 comments:

Glad to see you back. I had the same issue with the weight thing. I was doing good last summer and when the time changed, I fell off the wagon. Now that it has changed back I am running and excersising again. I enjoy running with an MP3 player going. Let us know what you decide to do with the blog.

New fishing / hunting shed just completed today. I had it delivered and assembled by Backyard Rooms. I might even live there next time Jane gets mad. Check it out atBackyard Roomshttp://roomstogrowusa.web12.hubspot.com/huntingfishing

Once you've made friends in the blogging world you have the obligation to keep us posted on what you are doing. Most of us all know how to fish...it's getting through life while being able to fish, or raise a family, or get a degree that interests your friends.

Mark, I like option 3 buddy. I don't check in often. But I do like to read what you write. There are a lot of valuable things to share that don't have to do with the outdoors. So I hope somewhere down the road you choose to write that personal blog. When and if you do, please be sure to let me know. You were one of the cool people that I followed along with. I hope to be able to again. See ya' Mark... Good luck buddy.

It's not just you that loose track of / the willingness to keep going blogging.. I left mine for a year and a half because we lost one of the three amigos ( moved away ) but hopefully you will find the will to keep it going. If thats what you want to do. Anyhoo have fun!